Sustainability & Climate Change
Food production needs are expected to roughly double over the next 35 years as the world population grows and people in under developed countries become more affluent and demand more calories. Healthy ecosystems are vital to the survival of all organisms. How can we grow crops without harming the environment? How can we balance technology and global food security? What is the right balance of organic and conventional farming? What role can genetics and biotechnology play without compromising the needs of tomorrow?
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
In pursuit of higher profits, some US soybean farmers abandon GMO crops
For the first time in 15 years, Illinois farmer Steve Ruh will plant only old-school soybean seeds to boost profit ...
Talking Biotech: Regulating gene-edited animals as drugs will stifle food innovation
Animal gene editing could revolutionize food production. But FDA regulation stands in the way ...
This farmer says more food producers should stand up for agriculture—here’s 5 reasons why
....An advocate for agriculture, sometimes referred to as an AGvocate, can be anyone who works to tell the inclusive story ...
Opposition to GMO crops is a first-world privilege, plant scientist says
Growing up in India, Devang Mehta thought of GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, as an exciting new technology. “India is ...
A look at the neglected ‘1%’ of biotech crops that slashed chemical use and boosted yields
Last year on SAIFood we discussed the benefits of the four major genetically modified (GM) crops, canola, corn, cotton and ...
Video: Scientists ‘resurrect’ the scent of extinct flower by piecing together its DNA
Using the tools of paleogenomics, scientists at Gingko Bioworks, a Boston-based synthetic biology company, have resurrected the smell of an extinct ...
Plants have a sense of smell—can we harness it to fight pests, improve crop quality?
Plants don't need noses to smell. The ability is in their genes. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have discovered ...
Can ‘heart-healthy,’ gene-edited soybeans build consumer trust in new biotech crops?
This fall, soybeans grown by 78 farmers in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa churned out of combine augers into awaiting ...
Scientists developing biofortified ‘Amazon Peanut’ with boosted levels of disease-treating proteins, fatty acids
A team of Colombian scientists is working on the development of transgenic sacha inchi, a plant in the Amazon rich ...
High-yield, protein-enriched rice could help combat nutrient deficiency in developing world
More than 750 million people don't get enough nutrients from their food. More than two-thirds of those people live in ...
When it comes to food, pesticides and drugs, does ‘natural’ mean safer or healthier?
From a scientific point of view, an evaluation is done on a case by case basis, whether it is a ...
Warmer temperatures may preserve nutritional quality of food crops—at the expense of lower yields
Recent research has shown that rising carbon dioxide levels will likely boost yields, but at the cost of nutrition. A ...
Video: Are biotech crops safe? A brief history of the GMO debate
Recent studies show the general public and the scientific community are deeply divided on the perceived safety of GMOs. Ars ...
Scientists could produce ‘green’ beer with CRISPR-edited yeast, but consumer fear of GMOs may stand in the way
First came the IPAs and then the double IPAs, triple IPAs, and imperial IPAs....Like most hipsters, I love a good hoppy ...
A prominent report claims we must eat less meat to stay healthy. A prominent agriculture expert responds the evidence is ‘weak’, more values than science
By now, I suspect many of you have seen the report by the EAT-Lancet Commission Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food ...
Viewpoint: New book “A Matter of Taste” cuts through fog of ‘misinformation’ around GMOs and modern farming
The foodie ecosystem is dominated by polarizing movies....Typically containing stale feelings and claims of folks like Michael Pollan and Vandana Shiva (who was ...
‘Planetary health diet’ aims to feed 10 billion people without causing ‘catastrophic’ environmental damage
A diet has been developed that promises to save lives, feed 10 billion people and all without causing catastrophic damage ...
Scientists breeding new disease-resistant soybeans to crack down on parasitic nematode
Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) [a common soybean pest] has overcome the main source of genetic resistance – PI 88788 – ...
Video: Organic food—marketing ‘scam’ or healthier option? Here’s what science says
Organic food is a huge trend: it promises a healthier and better life. But can Organic food really live up ...
UK’s John Innes Centre seeks approval to test gene-edited wheat designed to combat anemia
Researchers at the John Innes Centre have applied to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for consent ...
‘Landmark’ progress in 2018 expected to fuel more growth in Nigeria’s crop biotech sector
Building on landmark events from the past year, Nigeria’s biotechnology sector is expecting significant progress on two key food and ...
USDA wants to use drones to keep E. coli out of our food supply
When the new Food Safety Modernization Act became law in 2011, it required farmers to test for E. coli and other bacteria ...
60 percent of wild coffee species at risk of ‘extinction’
More than half of the world’s 124 wild coffee plant species meet the criteria for inclusion on the International Union ...
Forests can slow global warming, but growing evidence suggests they aren’t ‘climate saviors’
When it comes to fighting global warming, trees have emerged as one of the most popular weapons. With nations making ...
Researchers aim to develop heartier potatoes, but ‘generations of inbreeding’ may pose a challenge
Scientists are trying to revolutionize potatoes and....cure the tubers’ depression, the result of generations of inbreeding. ....Potatoes reproduce through cloning, ...
Viewpoint: We should stop blaming cows for climate change
The claim that meat production generates more greenhouse gases than the entire transportation sector is demonstrably false, says Frank Mitloehner ...
Video: What are GMO crops—and are they natural? Pioneering plant scientist Mary-Dell Chilton explains
I write about GMOs on a somewhat regular basis, but sometimes it’s a topic worth revisiting on a very basic ...
